Intricate Relationships
by garnet eyes
Summary: It isn't easy for Sephiroth to find people who truly value him, and whom he truly values, after living the life he has. Set before original game. Sephiroth x Cloud.


Title: Intricate Relationships

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction. net

Summary: Sephiroth is not completely used to relationships of any kind, but that does not mean that he doesn't want them.

Rating: M

Pairings: Cloud x Sephiroth x Zack, Sephiroth x Cloud

Author Notes: I have not had the time to watch/play anything in the Final Fantasy VII universe beyond the original game and Advent Children. Therefore, I am certain there are inconsistencies between my writing and newer games or movies.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

...

He had never been concerned with fantasy before. After all, being male was secondary to being an experiment and the kind of damage he could accidentally do to someone was painfully obvious. Any desires he had were completely ignored. Due to his testing schedule and his _father's_ want of more samples of his DNA, the SOLDIER found himself just as readily unenthused by the prospect of ejaculating as he was interested in the physical touch that caused it. Therefore, he was more than mildly surprised when that little soldier that Zackary had fused to his hip rather boldly stated that he _liked_ Sephiroth. The General hadn't considered anything of that connotation before, used to petty confessions of love confused with lust. The blonde was underage and had thus far not exactly _smelled_ as though his interests lied solely inside the General's pants.

Mild confusion and perhaps a tinge of amused curiosity caused the SOLDIER to accept the statement for face value and thus a new personality was fitted into his life and schedule. Young Strife was an interesting boy once the silver warrior became more acquainted with him. He had high dreams, much like Zackary, but unlike the brunette, the little blonde hadn't the slightest background necessary to achieving those goals. He was, however, bound and determined to succeed and pushed himself hard to do so. It was entertaining to witness the tiny mountain-born youth distract Zackary until the young SOLDIER was convinced to head out and assist training. The blonde had yet to attempt such nonsense on Sephiroth, but the silver warrior was not convinced that he would decline a request.

The soldier was very much Zackary's foil when he intended to slack off on the job and spoke… not particularly _eloquently_, per se, but with fervor on topics that interested him. The General knew more now about the psychological cycles of adolescents than he ever would have considered useful. Strife considered the knowledge a way to come to terms with the narrow-minded bullying of his hometown. Zackary thought the young blonde would make a decent psychologist. Sephiroth still chuckled over the young boy's scowled response that it didn't take _research_ to know that the brunette's mind was divided unequally between sex and violence and maybe food.

Time off often found the three of them together training or sitting in Zackary's apartment talking and watching foolish movies. None of what they did particularly mattered or stood out in the mind, but the simple fact that they did everything _together_ was enough for the elite to be content. The silver warrior was exceedingly fond of the time he spent with the little blonde and the exuberant brunette, no matter what foolish tricks the young SOLDIER played for the sake of mischief. It was, however, some months before Sephiroth relented enough to allow the young blonde to drink any of the alcohol abundant in the brunette's flat, and that was only due to the elite being present to keep his two friends in check. The silver warrior concluded that he was very happy with his circumstances, finding nothing particularly lacking in his day-to-day life.

The Planet revolved and life continued and Sephiroth dealt with the myriad of unending tasks assigned to him while spending any free time he had with those who actually mattered to him. Young Strife was a year older, more skilled, and just as optimistic as always after passing the first of a series of tests designed to weed out those incapable of becoming SOLDIERs, even going as far as briefly hugging both the silver and brunette warriors in thanks for their help with his training. In the same space of time, Zackary found a new flame who may or may not end up lasting longer than a week and decided to celebrate both occasions, dragging out the heavy-duty beverages the next time all three friends were in the SOLDIER's flat.

Sephiroth had believed that he had been careful, but he was unused to the type of alcohol that actually _affected_ him and, almost as if he was on the other side of a window looking in, found himself in lip lock with both of his friends, hands wandering to inappropriate places as clothing eased from all three bodies. It was an unusual feeling to have a tongue not his own in his mouth demanding control of the situation while light, gentle lips caressed across his chest and toyed with his nipples. Zackary – or it might have been young Cloud – unbuckled and opened his leather pants and the _hands_ that kept kneading over his body were much too distracting for the silver warrior to even recognize when his throat bobbed and his face heated just a little bit faster than the rest of his body. At some point, the elite blacked out, having imbibed his usual number of drinks without realizing the effect it would have.

The following morning found the SOLDIER waking up with a murderous headache, an aversion to light, several rug-burns, and a boot uncomfortably wedged under his left hip. He was also sprawled chest down on the carpet of Zackary's living area completely naked with the weight of both of his friends pinning him down. A sleepy snort at his right shoulder caused the General to flinch, realizing that he had a heightened sensitivity to sound as well. After several minutes of sifting through muddled memories, the elite realized that his groin was rather sore. To be more precise, he felt a bit chafed and there seemed to be a damp spot under him. His body remained exhausted, however, and the SOLDIER returned to sleep without even bothering to remove the boot, wanting his head to be clear.

The full impact of what he had done did not strike until after the second time he had awoken, both of his comrades in similar sorry states. Sephiroth urged them to bathe, more concerned about the possibility of trauma to young Strife's system than Zackary, who at least had the prior introduction of Mako into his body. The shower stall really wasn't big enough for the three of them, but nevertheless they squeezed in, all aching from "the worst fucking hangover of the century" according to Zackary. That did not seem to dissuade the brunette from commenting that the older SOLDIER seemed really out of practice last night. Sephiroth felt it rather imprudent to mention that aside from his required masturbation, he had been very obedient to the demand that he not harm others with foolish lust. Besides, the General was not precisely willing to admit that he was fairly positive he had just lost his forcibly maintained virginity the previous night to a man famous for his numerous one night stands and an _underage_ teen. Not only should he be imprisoned – as should Zackary – but the poor boy might suffer tremendous physical and psychological pains for the unconventional introduction of several abnormal drugs into his body. At least he did not seem to be suffering ill effects thus far. He just moved as if still tired, dressed himself, and headed off to training.

Somehow the silver warrior thought things had not been settled as he made his way to his office, but he did not have the luxury of collecting the three of them back into a comfortable place where they would remain undisturbed and figuring out what, precisely, had occurred when there was so much work to be done. So the instance drifted into the back of his mind when Strife showed no abnormal symptoms but Sephiroth found himself thinking about what had happened the next time he was required to give a semen sample. The laboratory technicians' touches felt uncomfortable until the SOLDIER lapsed into an arousing daydream about how sexual intercourse involving three participants worked. What he hazily recalled was very pleasant and might be worth attempting again once Strife was actually _legal_. Until such a time, the elite constrained his previously dormant sexuality by training himself to exhaustion whenever such thoughts cropped up and kept his eyes from straying too frequently to either of his friends, intent on their continued safety.

For a full year the General struggled with himself, surprised by his body's response the few times the little blonde barreled into him, squeezing his waist in a tight hug while exclaiming about some class that he had passed thanks to the elite's tutoring. It was irrational and uncomfortable to the normally passive SOLDIER, who still returned every embrace with a half smile and a deep breath just above bright golden locks. Zackary managed to muddle his way through that year with the woman he had met, impressively enough, before the relationship went sour and then in a fit of frustration the brunette swore off long term relationships and hauled the elite and the blonde up to his apartment to get drunk. Sephiroth had never seen his friend so distraught and felt the compulsion to alleviate the hurt in the only way he was currently capable – he matched the younger SOLDIER drink for drink.

It was possibly the only time in his life that the General was glad that he could not recall what had transpired, waking up the following day with a putrid taste in his mouth, limply sprawled on the floor of the bathroom next to the tub. Zackary had fallen asleep leaned over the toilet, his face ashen and his hair drooping. Young Cloud, appearing in the doorway with dark bruises under his eyes and exhaustion written in every line of his figure, helped the elite to sit upright and readjust his unresponsive legs. A short glance at the tub informed the silver warrior of last night's occupation, vomit stains present in the basin. The elite let the little blonde urge him into a hunched-over standing position, drawing him to the sink in order that he might rinse out his mouth with whatever mouthwash was available. The mirror over the sink enlightened the SOLDIER to his own ashen, sickly skin as he spit out the mint wash and considered drinking the green liquid to rid himself of the taste of bile and regurgitation. After the third rinse, the little teen ushered the General into the brunette's bedroom and onto the messy, unmade bed. With his head in the state it was in and his limbs so slow to react, there was little Sephiroth could do but allow young Cloud to dictate his actions.

He barely recalled lying down, but the General opened his eyes and shifted, encountering resistance in the form of a still sleeping SOLDIER on his back. Grumbling about alcohol and stupidity, the elite maneuvered out from under the younger man and stumbled into the bathroom, emptying his bladder and washing his face to clear up the residual weariness in his body. It was only at that point that feline eyes blinked down at the pristine toilet and bathtub, confusion entering regal features before the silver warrior headed out into the main part of the apartment and found all traces of the past night's drinks erased, the little blonde nowhere in sight. Sephiroth did not recall seeing the boy pick up even a single beer the night before and suddenly regretted drinking enough to become such a burden.

He found out later that day that the teen had collapsed due to exhaustion halfway through training and was recovering in the medical bay, but his schedule did not let him check up on the boy. Zackary was a pathetic mess as well, obviously still upset about his relationship troubles and not fully recovered from the prior night's escapades. Grimly, Sephiroth wondered if all relationships would eventually lead to such personal destruction, but did not hesitate to open his office to both of his friends the moment they came to visit. Foolishness, to be certain, and a failure on his part to distance himself as Professor Hojo desired, however the SOLDIER had accepted his imperfections long ago and readily embraced the affection he had cultivated in the brunette and blonde. Now was not the time, however, to pursue his own interests, and his desires once again retracted to the back of the silver warrior's mind.

Eventually, Zackary recanted his vow to never be in another serious relationship, for he found a young woman in the slums who grew flowers and wasn't afraid to punch him in the face if he was being obnoxious. Sephiroth was happy for his friend's pleasure, content with the time they still spent together, but could not help but regret that he no longer had the brunette's full time and attention. For no apparent reason, young Cloud began utilizing his long-standing authorization to enter the General's office whenever he pleased soon after Zackary established his new relationship. Sephiroth would be lying if he said that he disliked the company, amused by the young blonde's simple set up of books and notes in a half-moon on the floor near the desk, chin propped in hand as the lithe body lay on the carpeted ground and worked. It took a month for the SOLDIER to come to the realization that his regret had manifested in a change in mood that the blonde had reacted to instantly.

Another month passed before a completely distraught blonde tumbled into his office as the General read over a situation report from Junon, earning his immediate and total attention. Sephiroth did not claim to be spectacular at comforting anyone, but he knew enough, and surrounded young Cloud as fully as he possibly could while the boy curled up into his lap and sobbed piteously. It was then that the elite finally discovered first that homosexuality was a social warhead and second that the little blonde had been branded a freak for being homosexual. Having never encountered the bigotry before, the silver warrior was certain that he did not react as the teen had obviously expected, since young Cloud had already begun pulling away as if prepared to be struck physically or verbally for his admission. Instead, Sephiroth cupped the boy's chin with a gloved hand, tilted the young soldier's head, and kissed him. It was closed mouth and not fully centered, but it was heartfelt and the silver warrior did not regret doing it. Red rimmed blue eyes blinked up at him as the SOLDIER carefully wiped away the tear trails running down pale cheeks, making the elite more self-conscious than he ever remembered being. All rising insecurities were firmly stamped down as thin-fingered hands reached up to cradle the back of the General's head and young Cloud surged up to press against his lips again. For a brief moment their noses bumped but that hardly mattered to either male; before stubby digits began to card through silver tresses, blunt nails scratching along his scalp, and feline eyes fluttered closed with his soft exhalation of pleasure.

Young Cloud pulled back eventually, wiping his nose on the blue sleeve of his standard issue uniform before hesitantly smiling up at the SOLDIER, and Sephiroth decided in that moment that, while he might never receive the type of affection from Zackary that he desired, he could and did have everything from his young Cloud and that was enough for him. He offered to castrate whoever had upset his little soldier, receiving a breathless laugh in response, before the teen turned and burrowed more solidly against the General's frame and leaned his head back, blonde locks displaced by the silver warrior's chin. Locking one arm around the boy, Sephiroth hesitantly brought his chair back in toward his desk and picked up the report he had been reading earlier. When he heard the soft, steady exhalations of a sleeping soldier, the elite smiled into the hair at his chin and set down the report, picking up his office telephone and dialing Zackary. Castration might not be feasible, but some retribution was in order and the silver warrior knew of no one else more qualified to come up with a reasonable solution to bullying.

Perhaps sexual intercourse was still a long way away, but Sephiroth thought that he could wait. He had managed for the vast majority of his life, so what was another year or so? At the very least, he needed to wait until his Cloud was a SOLDIER and could handle the bigotry of the general populace. There were too few SOLDIERs for any prejudices among the ranks, so the most that his blonde would have to deal with would be the stupidity of the unenhanced army. Of course, Sephiroth could just put a real, stomach shriveling, nerve tingling fear into them to warn the masses off of what was his and be done with it, too, but something in his gut told him that he had better allow the teen to make SOLDIER before that. For now, the elite would have to settle for harassing the cretins who would harm his friend so readily.


End file.
